Front splash guard with covered crank hole



Oct. 6, 1931. H. J. EARL ET AL 1,826,393

FRONT SPLASH GUARD WITH COVERED CRANK HOLE Filed July 3, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 1/ I 5+ WMwfl W abkozmqa Oct. 6, 1931. H. J. EARL ET AL FRONT SPLASH GUARD WITH COVERED CRANK HOLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 5, 1929 alitozneaf Y the mentioned guard element or favorable to enhancement of the draft of Patented Dot. 6, 1931 burr-Es erssr QFFEQE,

tea-3e3- HARLEY J. EARL AND TQHN F. WILSON, 013 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNORS TO GEN- H ERAL MOTORS CORPORATION, OF DETBQIT, MICHIGAN, l CORPOR-ATIQN OF DELA- WARE rnoivr srrnsrr GUARD wrrn oovsnEncnANK HOLE.

Application filed. July 3, 1923. Serial No. 375,782.

It is a primary object of this invention to improve the appearance 'of the forward end of an automotive vehicle by means involving the use of a novel guard element;

and, in preferred embodiments of this invention, the foregoing object may be so attained as not only (2) to aid in avoidance of splash upon exposed forward parts but to pro vide" harmonious arrangements of lustrous border or trimming elements, curved surfaces and lines, (4;) tofacilitate the attachment and support of-adj acent fenders, bumpers and radiators, and to permit the in sertion of a starting crankwithout removal of said guard element, by providing therein a'special opening which may be normally closed or concealed by a forwardly-extending decorative device hereinafter described. Even though the mentioned guard element and associated parts may be formed of materials which are too light or are unfavorably shaped for any important contribution to structural rigidity, a forward inclination of plate may be air'through a radiator disposed thereabovesaid radiator being preferably trimmed in harmony with the splash device and option ally partially concealed by the mentioned guard element; and, to 'impart desired strength to said guard element, it may be (7) provided with a depressed area, with hidden or other reenforcements and/or with any desired corrugations or louvers.

Other objects of the present invention may be best appreciated from the following description of an illustrative embodiment thereof. taken inconnection with the appended claims and the accompanying drawings. Fig, lis a somewhat conventional front elevational view in which a bumper is shown as broken away to exposed parts which are in luded in or carried by the novel splash guard; and'a harmonious decorative element which is optionally provided at the edge of a radiator shell thereabove, and parts of the mentioned bumper which are also harmoni ously related toparts of the present invention, areshown in heavier lines. than those parts which are entirely'immaterial to the present invention.

Figs. 2 and 3 are respectively vertical sec 7 tional views, on a larger scale and with parts broken awayor omitted, taken substantially as indicated by the lines 22 and 33, an unlmportant optional feature of modification being suggested in Fig. 2.

Fig. is a top plan view, with parts eliminated. I r f Fig; am a vertical sectional view, taken substantially as suggested by the line/5 5 of Fig. 4. i I Figs, 6 and '7 Iarefenla'rged detail views taken substantially as indicated by the lines S-6'and 7-? of F ig; 4c. c. Fig. 8 is a verticalsectional View, uponan intermediate scale, taken substantially as indicated by the linec 88 of Fig. 3, but with parts broken away. I

Referring first to parts which are externally visible and which are shown in Figs. 13 inclusive, a, vehicle comprising a special or usual body 11, fenders 12, 12", an axle. '13, wheels 1%, 14; and a radiator shell 15 at the front of a hood l6 may'include also a usual or special chassis comprising so-called spring-attachment horns 17, 17'. These horns are shown as carrying a bumper 18 (preferably so held by clips19 as to obviate all use of brackets) and as practically con cealed from view by a novel splash guard organization 20 illustrative of theopresent lnvention. i A central element of this novel guard organization may take the form of a forwardly rounded and downwardly inclined apron or plate 21, providing a comparatively large depressed area which lies below the top surface of the .horns and is surrounded on three sides by upstanding ledges 22, 22,22. The totalbreadth of this plate 21 may be some what less than the distance between horn 17, 17, and support of said plate from said horns may be effected bythe use of a pair of suitable horn-concealing wing elements 23, 23'. These are preferablyformed separate. and maybe used with or without a pair of flanged side plates or other web or fin ele ments 24:, 24:, optionally vertical and emloo said opening being preferably provided with or concealed by a decorative cap or other closure device or organization 27.

As illustrated, in Figs. 3, t and 8, the closure device 27 may comprise a substan tially cylindrical or tubular portion 28, adapted downwardly to engage Lip-turned flanges 29, 29, provided at the edge of an elongated opening 30 in the central area 26 of plate 21. The rearward or inner end 31 of this cylindrical element may, whether or not said cylindrical element is intended to be bodily removable, be provided with a lug or finger 32, engageable under the plate 21; and the forward end of the cylindrical element 28, or its equivalent, may be provided with releasable retaining means such as a spring catch 33, shown as riveted at 3 1 to a substantially vertical element front 85, integral with the mentioned cylindrical body, and as provided with a finger piece 36. An inward or rearward movement of this finger piece may so disengage said catch from beneath a substantially straight transverse edge 37, provided at the front of the opening 30, as to permit bodily removal of the entire closure organization 27, in case a mere upward pull on the forward end of tubular element 28 is without effect.

It will be understood that the described provision for bodily removal of the device 2'? obviates all necessity for the provision of any crank-passing opening in the front thereof; and said closure organization may accordingly include either a removable cap or a purely decorative circular element 38, optionally simulating a chromium plated cap, at the forward end thereof. In F1 8, the mentioned cap or decorative element 38 is shown as provided with three inwardlyextending lugs 39, projecting through corresponding openings 40 in the vertical element and the shape of the openings may naturally depend upon whether or not a permanent connection, rather than a soca'lled bayonet joint, or the like, is desired at this point.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 44, the last mcntioned figure is provided mainly to illustrate the possibility of providing some or all of the corrugations 25 with downwardly-inclined drainage or dust-passing openings 41, serving as louvers in the plate 21; and Figs. 5 and 6 clearly illustrate apreferred method of inter-connecting marginal flanges 2, 13 and ff'l, preferably provided respectively by over-lapping portions of the ledges 22, 22, at the edges of plate 21, by adjacent and inwardly sloping portions to of the wing 23, 23, and by parallel flange elements 46, integral with the vertical or other reenforcing web elements 26%, 2-1.

The over-lapping flanges 42, 43 and 44 may be held in their indicated assembled relationship by spaced means such as a series of rivets 47, preferably concealed by novel means such as strips 48, 48 of chromium plated sheet metal or other lustrous or other decorative material, secured thereabove,as by means of bolts 49, concealed therein and extending through slots or other openings 50 provided in the mentioned over-lapping flanges. The heads of the mentioned bolts may be adapted to engage inwardly-eateniling flanges 51, 51', integral with the strips 48; said bolts may be provided as at 52, with noncircular shoulders adapted to prevent rotation thereof during the tightening of nuts h 53 thereon; and, whether or not the respective wing elements 23, 23 are outwardly provided with means such as dowu-t urnml flanges 54, adapted to fit over the horns 17, 17 and/or suitably bent edges 55 of the fender elements 12, 12, said wing elements 23, 23 may be retained not only by perfection of fit but by a clamping engagement between said horns and the bases 56, 56 of light-carrying posts 57, 57, or the like. For

the purpose last referred to, the wings 2-), 23 are shown as provided with spaced openi 58, 58, suitable for the reception of screws or bolts employed in the attachment of the brackets 56, 56; and an alternative or additional securing effect may be obtained by the use of suitably formed bumper-retaining clips 59, by bolts 60 for the attachment and tightening of the same and/or by means such as an inwardly-extending horizontal ledge (51, saown as integral with the plate 21 and as engaged by a bottom element (32 of the radiator shell 15.

The splash-obi iating advantages of the described organization being evident upon inspection, the mechanical merits of mentioned features, including the opening 30 and the closure element therefor have been fully indicated in connection with the foregoing description; but attention may again be directed, in conclusion, to the improvements in appearance which result from the use of a splash organization which not only covers the horns 17, 17 but practically fills the space therebetween; and the attractiveness of this organization is enhanced not only by the mentioned parallelism of horizontal lines provided by the corrugations or louvers 25 and bumper 18, if the latter is provided, but also by an optical continuity of the decorative strips i8, 48 (which conceal the joint between mentioned sheet-metal elements such as the plate 21, the wings 23, 23' and the fins 24, 24,-hiding any weld spots or rivets 47) with similarly rounded lustrous elements 63, 63, shown as laterally bordering the front face of the radiator shell 15, these being preferably of similar curvature and plated similarly to said strips.

The net result is structurally satisfactory, even though the materials of the mentioned parts be too light to make any important contribution to the rigidity of the chassis; the organization is adapted to be completely prea ssembled and to be easily and quickly ap plied without the use of a single bolt, screw or other fastening element additional to those referred to or otherwise required; mentioned decorative features contribute substantially v o the sale of cars: and described features of plate 21 are not only favorable to subsequent cleanliness but to an appreciable upward deflection and enhanced circulation of air through the radiator thereabove.

Although the foregoing descri tion has included details of but a single embodiment of the present invention. attention may be called. in conclusion, to the facility with which one or more of the mentioned sheet elements may be so formed or extended as to provide a complete receptacular unit acces siblethroush the opening 30,-the exact configuration. of reenforcing convexities and/or conical curvatures such as are suggested at 64 and 65 Figs. 2 and 5, being relatively im- -moterial.

We claim:

1. In a splash guard organization: a forwardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element comprising a depressed area having less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell: and a pair of flanged horn-concealins wing elements respectively f-rovided with flanges at opposite sides thereof. the inner flanges thereof being secured to flanges upon said apron.

2. In a splash guard organization: a forwardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element comprising a depressed'areahaving less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell; and a pair of flanged horn-concealing wing elements respectively prov ded with flanges. the inner flanges therecf being secured to flanges upon said apron by substantially parallel joints: and decorative means for concealing said joints.

3. A splash guard organization: a for- ,wardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element comprising a depressed area having less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell; and a pair of flanged horn-conceallng wing elements respectively less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell; and a pair of flanged hornconcealing wing elements respectively provided with inner flanges secured to flanges upon said apron; and flanged side plate ele-- ments provided under the respectivelateral flanges of said apron,,al1 of said elements being secured together by means uniting overlapping flanges thereof.

5. In a splash guard organization: a forwardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element comprising a depressed areahaving less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell; and a pair of flanged horn-concealing wing elements respectively provided with flanges at opposite sides thereof,-the inner flanges thereof beingsecured to flanges upon said apron, and joint between said elements being concealed by decorative means extending longitudinally of sald joints.

6. In a splash guard organization: a forwardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element comprising a depressed area having less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements extending forwardly of a radiator shell; and a pair of flanged horn-concealing wing elements respectively provided with flanges at opposite sides thereof,the inner flanges thereof being secured to flanges upon said apron by joints; strips thereover, provided with inturned flan es and bolts whose heads engage said flan e s.

7 In a splash guard organization: ii forwardly inclined and laterally flanged apron element having less lateral breadth than the distance between chassis horn elements eX-, 

